Unwanted Past
by XxXxDarkVampirexXxX
Summary: Minako never speaks about her past. Why? For reasons you'd never even imagine... Being rewritten. Chapters 1 and 2 redone and reposted.
1. Chapter 1

**Yo. I know I haven't updated in...damn, nearly two years-!?, but I reread the fic and hated it. So in order to fix that, I decided to rewrite it. My style has changed a lot since back then, so chapters should be more detailed and better written in general now, and maybe even a little bit longer, depending. Maybe. **

**Warning: There will be mentions of abuse-all kinds. Nothing too graphic though. This also takes place in an AU where Igor doesn't put Minako into a coma during the typhoon. (Sorry about the long AN-won't happen again)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Persona series or any of its characters...**

"Damn, a typhoon?" voiced Junpei Iori, a second year student at Gekkoukan High, and a member of SEES. He finally looked up from the screen of his portable gaming system and focused on the television. "Man, they're gonna can the Festival now, huh?" He sighed. "There goes my chance of seeing Yuka-tan in a maid's outfit..."

"Ugh, shut up, Stupei!" exclaimed Yukari Takeba, who was also a second year, in disgust. She was on the archery team and was a SEES member too.

The Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad-or SEES team, who all lived in the same dorm, were seated in the lounge, chatting over the TV. They had the evening news on, and the meteorologist had just claimed that a large, slow moving typhoon was approaching.

The front door suddenly opened, allowing in a gust of wind, and the canine member of the team, Koromaru, immediately bounded over to greet whoever had just walked in. It was Minako Arisato, yet another second year student, who had transferred in not too long before. She was also the appointed leader of SEES. She stooped down to pet Koro-chan, a smile on her face.

"Where have you been?" asked Akihiko Sanada, a third year SEES member with a talent for boxing.

Straightening up, Minako simply shrugged. "Just...around," she replied vaguely, walking over to the rest of them.

"Did you hear about the typhoon?" inquired Junpei as the brown haired girl walked past him, snatching his hat back when she playfully pulled it off his head.

Giving him his hat back, Minako frowned. "Typhoon? No."

"Yeah, it's going to hit pretty soon," voiced Fuuka Yamagishi, another second year who was good with technology.

"Tomorrow?" wondered Minako, voice tinted with curiosity.

"That's what they're saying," replied Yukari, blowing on her newly pink painted nails.

"Yes, they've decided to close the school for the next couple of days," said Mitsuru without looking up from her book. She was the daughter of the infamous Takeharu Kirijo, head of the Kirijo Group, and she headed SEES. She was also the one who had appointed Minako as the leader.

The crimson eyed girl frowned at this unexpected news, but never got a chance to say anything, for she was inadvertently interrupted by her hat wearing friend.

"Let's go to Tartarus tonight!" he exclaimed suddenly, an eager smile on his face.

Minako looked at him in question. "We just went last night though. Are you all up to it?" She didn't want any of them to overexert themselves for no reason. They still had a while left before the next full moon anyhow.

"Can we? Please?" asked Ken Amada, the youngest SEES member, who had been sitting quietly thus far.

"Yes, can we? Please?" echoed Aigis, the only robotic member of the team.

The group however looked around at one another and nodded, signalling that they were indeed all set to go. A moment's silence reigned where all that could be heard was the news broadcaster on TV.

"Alright then," said Minako, defeated. "Fuuka, you know what to do." She headed further down the lounge, making her way to the stairs, as Fuuka promised that they would all meet up at the school gates at midnight. Minako placed a foot on the first stair, then abruptly stopped. She looked up at the ceiling and sighed deeply. "Ten years, huh..." She gave another sigh, shook her head to clear her thoughts, then resumed her climb.

Minako was unaware that Shinjiro Aragaki, who was standing in the shadows nearby, had heard her.

Shinjiro was a third year student who never actually attended school in the first place. He was the quietest member of the team, and only Akihiko and Mitsuru seemed to know anything about him...

Later that night during the Dark Hour, the team was standing in Tartarus' lobby, waiting for Minako to divide up the teams.

"Alright," began Minako after a moment of thought, "Akihiko-senpai, Shinjiro-senpai, and Koro-chan will come with me." She waited for them to give signs of acknowledgement. When they did, she continued. "Mitsuru-senpai, Junpei, and Ken will be group two, and Yukari and Aigis will be group three. Fuuka, as always, backup." She waited for the six to nod. "Good, my group will continue up Tartarus, Mitsuru-senpai-second block, Yukari and Aigis-first block."

Everyone agreed immediately, all knowing Minako, as leader, always did what she had to for a reason. She knew best, after all. The team split up and headed out...

While Minako knew they all wanted to train, she made sure that they weren't in the massive tower for very long. They others may have felt fine when they had begun, but the crimson eyed girl knew that they would only become fatigued more easily. In fact, barely fifteen minutes had passed before Fuuka informed her that Ken was beginning to look tired.

Junpei grumbled a bit when Minako decided to call it a night barely half an hour later, but she knew that deep down they all understood why she made the call. Besides, the wind was picking up and it was beginning to drizzle...

The next afternoon the SEES team, minus their leader, were just sitting around in the lounge. The typhoon had already hit and with school cancelled, it wasn't like there was anything to do. Minako woke up later than usual, wondering why it was still so dark out even though it was afternoon. She got her answer when she looked out the window and saw the dark clouds, blowing trees and pouring rain.

The girl debated on whether or not she should go outside, but in the end, decided that she should. She _needed_ to. Getting dressed in a pair of jeans, sweater, and running shoes, she headed downstairs, running her fingers through her hair, which she had left down and without its usual pins. There was no point dressing as she normally did if she was just going to get all wet. The wind was going to make it impossible to use an umbrella, so she knew that she'd get wet either way.

Reaching the lounge, she immediately walked over to the doors, purposely ignoring the others in the room, despite how rude it was. She didn't really want to draw attention to herself, even though she knew it was futile.

"Minako-chan? Where are you going?" asked Fuuka curiously.

The brown haired girl uncharacteristically cursed inwardly. She _really_ didn't need this right now. "Out," she replied curtly.

"But, there's a typhoon going on," said Yukari with a confused frown.

Minako simply shrugged. "There's something I need to do."

"Nothing's worth going out in this weather though," said Junpei, attention finally deviated from the small screen in front of him.

Knowing they weren't about to stop staring or questioning her, Minako said, "I'm going to the graveyard to pay respect to my parents who died ten years ago today, okay?"

"Do you have to do that _today_?" asked Ken, even though he kind of understood. "Why not wait until the typhoon passes?"

But Minako just let out a sad and almost cold sounding laugh. "Car je les ai tués...*" And with that she left the dorm, not waiting to hear what the others had to say.

*In the English version, they add French in it, right?

**And that's the first edited chapter. Hope it's better than it used to be. Don't worry if you don't know what Minako said, it'll be explained later on. Looking forward to reviews! Laterz! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Yo. Okay, hope you guys liked the previous chapter. The French sentence from there will be repeated here, but not explained until the next chapter. There's a reason why it's being done this way, so don't worry. I'm not going to repeat the warnings, so check chapter one if you don't remember.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Persona series or any of its characters...**

Everyone in the SEES team looked around at one another in confusion, not really understanding what had just happened. While Akihiko and Mitsuru both knew French, somehow neither of them seemed to have managed to pick up what Minako had just revealed to them. In fact, the only one who did seem to understand, was Shinjiro.

"Um, shouldn't somebody go after her?" questioned Ken tentatively. With his own mother having died a couple of years before, he understood why Minako would want to go pay her respects no matter the conditions, but even he, an eleven year old child realized how dangerous it could be out right now with the typhoon that was only gaining strength as time passed.

Akihiko jumped to his feet and was half way to the doors before Shinjiro deftly stepped in front of him, cutting off his path. The silver haired teen stared at his long time friend in confusion, wondering why he had just stopped him, but Shinjiro spoke before he could voice his question.

"I'll get her," he said in his usual monotone voice.

Akihiko just continued to look at him with confusion, and opened his mouth to speak, only to cough into his elbow. This just caused Shinjiro to roll his eyes.

"You're sick, Aki. If you go out in this weather, you'll just kill yourself."

There really _was_ too much logic in that to disagree, so the red vested teen sighed before sneezing. "Fine." He resumed his seat. "Just hurry then, Shinji."

Shinjiro said nothing, just gave the others in the room a curt nod, not meeting their eyes as he did so. Opening the doors, he stepped outside, immediately cursing the weather as a strong gust of wind pushed him back. He walked over to the graveyard as quickly as he could, noting how very few people were actually outside. One man was even attempting to ride his bike, and Shinjiro snickered at the failing sight.

_'Car je les ai tués...' _Does she really mean that? The stoic teen really didn't know what to think. What he _did_ know, was that SEES's leader was behaving very strangely, something he was able to tell even though he didn't know her all that well.

Shinjiro was soaked to the skin and shivering beyond belief by the time he reached the local graveyard. Hands buried deep inside his pockets, he glanced around from under his beanie, looking for Minako. He spotted her fairly quickly, considering she seemed to be the only person out here, and approached a particularly large headstone.

Coming to a stop behind her, he opened his mouth to scold her, but was inadvertently cut off when Minako began to speak herself. However, she wasn't talking to him. She was talking to the grave. To her family...

"Hey guys," she said quietly. "I'm sorry I haven't visited in so long. I mean, I haven't been here since you were buried here, huh? I was going to bring you some flowers or something, but because of the typhoon, all the stores are closed." She sighed almost sadly. "I'm going to get sick now, aren't I?"

Shinjiro found himself mesmerized by the girl's soft voice, and was unable to say anything. He had never heard Minako speak like this. She was usually always so...bubbly. Now though, now she just sounded sad.

"Can you believe it's been ten years?" the girl went on, oblivious to the presence of her Senpai behind her. "Ten long years since I last saw you, spoke to you. Ten long years since I last gave a true smile..."

_True smile? Then...all those smiles have been fake? _Minako's parents' death had clearly affected her far more than anyone had realized. Perhaps even more than she herself had realized.

Minako continued to speak, but the tone of her voice had changed. She now sounded...angry. "Why was I entrusted to Tohru* after you died? I understand that he was a close family friend and all, but I didn't know he was like _that_! Do you _know_ what he _did_ to me?!"

Shinjiro started at the near hysterical tone the girl's voice had taken, but he still didn't speak, unsure of why he wasn't making himself known to her.

"Eight years. For eight years I was stuck with him, trapped with him. Eight whole years. I spent the last two year just...running. I was desperate, I didn't care where I went as long as he wasn't there. But now I'm back. Back to the city we lived in. I don't even know if he's still here. What if he is? What if he finds out _I'm_ here? I don't even want to think about what he'd do."

The coated teen found himself more confused than ever, and stared, grey eyes narrowed, at the back of their leader's head.

"I finally started having fun again. For the first time in ten years, I'm happy. I've met so many people I can actually call friends, but I'm still scared. What if he finds me? Is he going to take me with him? He will, won't he?" The girl released a dry sob. "Why...why couldn't I have just-just died with you that day? Why was I the one left all alone...?" She broke off with another sob, this one sounding more anguished than the first. "This is payback isn't it? It's my fault you died in the first place? I-I'm the one who killed you!"

Shinjiro stared in disbelief. _Who the hell is Tohru? What the fuck did he do to her to scare her like this? And what the hell does she mean that she killed them? _Shinjiro didn't have any of the answers he wanted, and he hated that...

*Yes, it's _that_ Tohru, as in Tohru Adachi from Persona 4

**Still short, I know, but I think it's better than it used to be. Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Yo…sorry for the delay…I sorta blanked out…Here's the next chapter…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own P3P or any of its characters…**

Shinjiro stared at the back of the girl's head in shock. _What the hell did she mean by THAT?_ He reached out and touched Minako's shoulder to get her attention. She literally jumped in shock.

"Oh, senpai, it's you." She said hastily wiping her eyes on her sleeve. "What are you doing here?" She asked getting to her feet.

"I came to take you back to the dorm." Said Shinjiro in his usual tone. When Minako looked at him in confusion, he added, "There's a typhoon going on... You're going to kill yourself."

"Oh...right. Okay, hang on." Minako turned back to the grave. "I'm going back now, but I promise I'll come visit again soon, kay?"

With that, she turned back to Shinjiro and the two of them began walking away... There was a silence, except for the pounding rain and howling wind.

" 'Car je les ai tués.' " Shinjiro quoted suddenly.

Minako looked at him.

"Because I killed them... What do you mean you killed them?"

Minako looked down. " I did kill my family... Mom...dad...my sister...my brothers... I killed them all..."

"You had...siblings?" Shinjiro asked in faint surprise. "Aki and Kirijo said you were an only child."

Minako laughed bitterly. "They didn't know... It's not on my record, so they had no idea... I've never told anyone."

"Tell me then." Said Shinjiro.

Minako hesitated, but after a moment, began to speak.

"I had an older sister named Kazumi...Kazi-neechan... She was four years older than me... I had a little brother named Kenta... We would sometimes call him Ken-kun... He was four years younger than me..."

"Is that why you treat Amada like a younger brother?" Shinjiro asked. He had noticed this a few days before.

Minako nodded. "It's sorta an unconscious thing... I also had another brother...Minato...my twin..."

Shinjiro's eyes widened in surprise. "You had a twin brother?"

"...Yes. It was us four kids, and mom and dad... The Arisato family... Until ten years ago today."

"What happened?"

"...It was nee-chan's birthday... We had gone out...came back...just got off the Moonlight Bridge when the Dark Hour struck... For some reason though, no one transmogrified." Minako explained.

The two reached the dorm. Just before going inside, Shinjiro stopped Minako.

"Take a shower, warm up, eat something, then finish telling me what happened."

It was more like a command than a suggestion. Minako nodded and the two headed inside.

"Ah, you're back." Said Yukari.

"You guys are soaked." Said Fuuka. "Wait there, I'll grab some towels."

Fuuka ran upstairs and back down, bringing a towel each to Minako and Shinjiro. The two hastily dried themselves off before heading upstairs. On the second floor landing Shinjiro told Minako that he would meet her in the Command Room in an hour. Again, Minako nodded. She then headed up to her room on the third floor. _I can't believe I'm actually going to tell someone, she thought. Even after I promised myself I'd never think about it again... But, I'm glad it's Shinjiro-senpai... I know...he'll understand..._

*In case you didn't pick it up 'Car je les ai tués' means 'Cause I killed them'

**And yeah…I apologize for the chapter shortness…like I said, I blanked out. Besides, I did this in class…I really, really, really hate school… Next chapter should be up soon… Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Yo…sorry for the delay…I've had allot of crap on my mind…Well, anyway, here's the next short bit.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own P3P or any of its characters…**

Minako did as Shinjiro had said, and took a shower. As she stood under the warm spray, she wondered how her senpai would react to what she was going to tell him. It wasn't just the simple matter of her killing her own family, but what happened to her after that. It wasn't going to be easy, she realized.

An hour or so later Minako entered the Command Room, only to see Shinjiro already sitting there waiting for her. She sat down opposite him, and waited in silence. She wasn't exactly sure what to say.

"So." Said Shinjiro a moment later. "You said your family got off Moonlight Bridge, and the Dark Hour started, but no one transmogrified?"

Minako nodded. "We'd never actually experienced the Dark Hour before, so we were all confused."

"But how did your family die?" Asked Shinjiro.

"I already said...I killed them."

"Yes, but how?"

"...My Persona."

"Your...Persona...?" Shinjiro repeated in confusion.

"Yes... I don't know how or why, but Orpheus suddenly came out... She started attacking my family... I didn't even know what was going on, it's not like I'd ever seen a Persona before, I was what, seven? ...Next thing I knew, oka-san, and oto-san were dead... After that was Kazumi-neechan, and then Kenta... And then Minato... Orpheus disappeared and I was left standing there, alone..." Minako explained in a soft voice.

"Orpheus killed your family though, not you. So, you shouldn't hold onto the guilt like that." Said Shinjiro.

Minako laughed lightly. "Orpheus is part of my inner soul, anything she's done, it's considered I've done... Besides, shouldn't you be taking your own advice, senpai?"

"...What?" Shinjiro asked in confusion.

Minako looked at him. "I know what happened two years ago. You, Akihiko-senpai, and Mitsuru-senpai were out tracking down a Shadow... You lost control of Castor, and he killed Ken's mother...right?"

Shinjiro was quite surprised. "How do you know that?"

Here, Minako smiled slightly. "It's actually pretty obvious, senpai. You and Ken act so...awkward around each other, Akihiko-senpai also acts a bit weird around Ken... Besides, since I basically did the same thing as you, I could tell something similar happened... Am I wrong?"

Shinjiro was shocked and silent. He honestly had no idea what to say. How had the girl managed to figure it out so easily?"

"Yeah, you're right. That's exactly what happened. But we're not talking about me, we're talking about you... What happened after Orpheus disappeared?" Asked Shinjiro determined to find out everything that happened.

"I...walked away from the car...and towards the bridge... Next thing I knew, I was in a hospital bed. There was a doctor there, a detective, and an old family friend named Tohru." Said Minako. "They told me my family had died in a car accident, and I had miraculously survived. I knew that wasn't the truth, but I didn't say anything. I knew they wouldn't believe me. They then told me that Tohru would be my new guardian, and that I was going to live with him... They asked me if I was alright with that. I said yes... I didn't know what was going to happen during the next few years... There was no way I could have known what he was going to do..."

**And yeah…that's it for now…Next chapter will be disturbing and up soon…Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Yo…sorry to people who've been waiting for his, I couldn't think of what to say…anyway this chapter contains mention on rape, but nothing detailed…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 3 Portable or any of its characters…**

"What happened?" asked Shinjiro curiously.

Minako sighed sadly and looked down at her hands.

"I went to Tohru's home with him, it was here, in this city... He lived not far from here... Everything was fine...until I turned eight. On my birthday, he took me and...locked me in my room. Technically, it was kinda like a...walk in closet."

"He locked you up?" Shinjiro said in confusion.

Minako nodded once. "Yeah...and honestly, if it stayed as that, I wouldn't have minded."

Shinjiro remained silent, waiting for the girl to continue.

"I stayed locked up in there for about a week at first, one meal a day, and only leaving for school. There was a small bathroom in the closet, so I just used that... After that first week, Tohru came into my 'room,' and he...raped me."

"What...? He RAPED you? When you were EIGHT?" Shinjiro questioned in surprise.

"Hmm...and he continued doing that each and every day until I was fifteen..." said Minako.

"Fifteen...wasn't that just a couple of years ago?"

Minako nodded again. "Yeah... Tohru got drunk one night and forgot to lock my door. I peeked out and noticed he was passed out, so I grabbed my bag, shoved some stuff in and ran. I managed to find work at different hotels and things, all around Japan. I never stayed in one place for too long, because I knew Tohru was probably going to be looking for me." She smiled slightly. "You know, before I came here, I lived in Okinawa."

"Oki...nawa?" repeated Shinjiro. "Are you serious?"

"Yep... I came here to this dorm really suddenly. And I'm not saying I don't like it here or anything, cause I do! It's just that..."

Minako didn't have to finish her sentence. Shinjiro knew what she was trying to say.

"You don't know whether that bastard still lives here or not, right?" Not liking the sad look in Minako's eyes, Shinjiro reached out unconsciously and stroked the girl's cheek.

Minako looked at him, faint surprise in her eyes. "S-Shinjiro-senpai...?"

**And yeah…that's all for now…Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Yo…I THINK most of the really depressing stuff's done now…so the chapters should be becoming a little sweeter…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 3 Portable or any of its characters…**

"You're frowning," said Shinjiro, pulling his hand away and shoving it into his pocket. "You're supposed to be smiling...remember?"

"But...how can I...?"

Shinjiro sighed. "Look...I know all this can't possibly be a good thing to have experienced," he said. "But...no matter what, you can't let that consume you... And," he smiled slightly, "you're already doing a great job of letting it go...don't stop that now."

Minako smiled. "Yeah...you're right...but, shouldn't you be doing that too?"

"Hey...this isn't about me," said Shinjiro, still smiling. "It's about you...just this once, forget about everyone else...and focus on yourself... You always ignore your own needs...always helping your friends..." he finished quietly.

Minako looked at him in confusion. "Senpai...?"

"You...it's late," said Shinjiro. "I want you to get some rest, alright? ...We can talk more later..."

"Okay...thanks for listening, senpai," said Minako, getting to her feet. "Good night..."

"Yeah."

She left the Command Room and went down one floor to her own room, where she got ready for bed.

_I'm glad I told him_, she thought as she lay down. She realized that she had really needed to do that...to tell someone.

Meanwhile, Shinjiro hadn't moved from his seat in the Command Room. He sat there, thinking.

_How could that have possibly happened to the girl? What had she done to deserve it? She had said that she killed her family (even though she lost control of her Persona) and that the thing with Tohru had been revenge for it. He himself, had lost control of his Persona one night. And it had killed someone too. He had changed completely after that...so how could Minako still smile? Not that he had a problem with her smile. In fact, he loved it. That bastard took her smile away..._

Shinjiro shook his head, pulling himself out of his thoughts. Now was not the time for this. No matter how much he despised it, the issue with Tohru had already happened. He knew there wasn't really anything he could do about it.

He got to his feet with a grunt and headed down to his room on the second floor. He stripped himself down to his boxers and crawled into bed.

Shinjiro couldn't take away what happened to Minako, but he could help her ease the pain. He knew he could, he had seen that look in her crimson eyes. That gentle look she had given him... If he saw Tohru on the other hand, he was going to rip the bastard into shreds. He was going to beat the bloody fuck outta him for laying his dirty hands on his Minako.

Wait...HIS Minako...?

**That's all for now…Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Yo…teachers really suck…anyway, here's the next part…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 3 Portable or any of its characters…or Persona 4…**

Shinjiro, who had wanted to sleep that night, found he was unable to do so. He was too lost in his newest thought.

_Since when did he start thinking of Minako belonging to him? She had just been a random girl, just like Yamagishi, Takeba and Kirijo. She wasn't exactly like Aigis, since Aigis was a robot. Why was it that Minako was the only one from them all that stuck in his mind? After he had spoken to her and heard about her life, every time he closed his eyes...all he saw was her. Why...?_

Giving sleep up as a bad job, Shinjiro climbed out of bed, pulled his pants on and left his room heading downstairs towards the kitchen. It was the middle of the night, so he knew everyone would already be in bed. That was good, because he didn't really want to be around anyone at the moment...not that he ever really did.

To his surprise however, he noticed the kitchen light on as he approached. Stepping into the room, he spotted Minako sitting up on the counter, sipping a liquid in a mug. She was wearing a pair of short shorts and a tank top, displaying her milky white skin.

Upon hearing his footsteps, Minako looked up.

"Oh," she said in surprise. "Shinjiro-senpai..."

A faint blush appeared on her cheeks when her eyes landed on his bare chest.

"Minako...what're you doing up?" questioned Shinjiro. "I thought I told you to go to bed?"

"I know," said the girl. "But...I couldn't sleep, so I came down for some hot chocolate." She indicated the mug in her hands. "...What about you?"

"I guess I couldn't sleep either," replied the young man.

He wasn't going to tell her that she was the one constantly haunting his thoughts.

"You guess?"

Shinjiro shrugged. He went over to the cupboard, so that he could grab a mug. Some hot chocolate...didn't really sound like a bad idea. To do this however, he had to get pretty close to Minako. He was standing right in front of her, when he next spoke.

"Watch your head," he said gently.

"Hmm."

Minako ducked down, her head now against Shinjiro's chest. The young man opened the cupboard door and pulled out a mug before closing it once more.

"Alright," he said.

Minako straightened up, face tinged pink as Shinjiro bustled around finishing the making of his drink. Once he had done that, he stood in front of her, leaning back against the fridge, sipping from his mug. He watched her for a moment, before realizing that she was holding something else too.

"What're you lookin' at?" he asked curiously.

Minako looked up at him and flipped the paper-like object around. It was a photograph. Shinjiro approached the girl once more, so that he could see it clearly.

There were six people in the picture, standing in front of a nice sized home. He recognized Minako at once; she was the only one with those beautiful, crimson eyes.

He saw two adults there, most likely the parents, who were holding hands. Then there was an older girl, about ten years old, who was holding a little boy in her arms. The girl was probably Kazumi, and the boy, Kenta, who was about two at the time. And standing side by side, with their arms around one another, were Minako and her twin brother Minato. The girl was smiling brightly, the boy, expressionless.

Shinjiro stared the younger version of the girl now seated in front of him. He had never seen her smile that way here.

His brow suddenly furrowed in confusion. The parents both had dark brown hair and cinnamon coloured eyes. Kazumi and Kenta were the same as the adults. The twins however, were completely different. Minako had brown hair that was lighter than the others and crimson coloured eyes. Minato on the other hand, had blue hair and grey eyes.

Noticing his confusion, Minako giggled lightly.

"You just noticed Minato and I don't resemble the family at all, right?"

Shinjiro looked at her, before giving a nod. Minako smiled.

"I'm not really a hundred percent sure why we look different, but I think it has something to do with our Persona's."

"Wait...he was a Persona user too?" questioned the young man in confusion.

"Yeah," said Minako with a nod. "He awakened to it the day before I did... We didn't know what it was, but knew it wouldn't hurt anyone...that's why when I awakened to mine the next night...I-I thought..."

She trailed off and Shinjiro sighed inwardly. He hadn't known about this part.

"Minako...I've already told you, what happened that night wasn't your fault..."

"I know...I'm sorry, it's just hard to accept that. After what happened and I after I started living with Tohru, he would tell me that everything was my fault...so I basically grew up thinking that... It's hard to just...stop."

The anger that Shinjiro had towards Tohru doubled. If he saw that bastard, he'd massacre him...or perhaps he'd just have Mitsuru execute him...

Shinjiro reached out and cupped Minako's soft cheek. She looked at him, eyes both surprised and confused.

"It wasn't your fault. None of it was, so stop thinking it was. I know he said otherwise, but you need to forget about what he's said to you. It's hard, I know it is, but it's the best you can do. That way, if you do happen to run into him again, you can show him that he hasn't gotten to you, despite what he's done... You can show him, that after the torture he put you through for years, you still turned out to be a beautiful young woman..."

He wasn't completely aware of what he said himself, it had just...come out. Saying things like that were rather uncharacteristic of him, but Minako seemed to think otherwise.

The girl looked at him for a moment, before putting down her mug and throwing her arms around Shinjiro, hugging him tightly.

**That's all for now…Sorry, I know it isn't the best place to stop, but my writer's block kicked in again and I have no idea what to write next...I'll be thinking about it thought, so no worries...Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Yo…well, here's the next chapter…It ends at a really annoying part though, just sayin'…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 3 Portable or any of its characters...**

Minako woke up a couple of hours later, feeling thoroughly unrested. That didn't really surprise her or anything, considering when she had gone to bed. Even after doing that, Minako had found herself still unable to sleep. Her thoughts continued to roam over to Shinjiro, wondering why he was behaving the way he did. She had no problem against it though. She actually really liked it and was wondering whether she was falling for the young man, something she had forbidden herself from doing after the whole Tohru thing had happened.

The girl forced herself to crawl out of bed and begin to get dressed for school. She knew she had to go. There was no way Mitsuru would let her live if she skipped school on a day that wasn't a Full Moon.

Minako found it rather hard to concentrate in class that day though. She couldn't stop thinking about Shinjiro and that soft expression he had on his face while he was awkwardly hugging her. It was clear that the young man wasn't used to physical contact. She really was starting to fall for him and it was a nice feeling, but at the same time, she couldn't help but feel a little scared. Tohru had done some really terrible things to her, things that had gone on for at least eight years!

She had lived through that time, thinking that all guys were the same. Cruel, heartless bastards who wanted nothing more than sex. After moving in the dorm here though, and joining S.E.E.S, she had come to realize that this wasn't true. Minako had many male friends, didn't she? There was Junpei, Bunkichi, Hidetoshi, Bebe, Mutatsu, Tanaka, Akihiko, Pharos (even if he was part of her mind), Akinari, Koromaru (if he counted), Ken (even though he was a kid), and, well, Shinjiro himself. All of these people were kind-hearted, but in their own way. And Minako knew, without a doubt, that none of these guys would ever do anything to hurt her.

Despite knowing this however, Minako just couldn't stop herself from being afraid. You'd probably be the same, if you were in her place. And now, this whole thing with Shinjiro was simply confusing her further. Every time she was around him, she always got these strange feelings that she hadn't understood at first. The girl hadn't told anyone about her past, except Shinjiro that is. She couldn't tell him how she felt, not while that fear was still lingering.

"...ako-..an...! Minako-chan!"

Minako's head snapped up.

"Huh, what?"

"Are you okay?" questioned Yukari in concern.

"Uh...yeah...yeah, I'm fine."

"Wow, you're really out of it," laughed Junpei.

"Oh, sorry... I've...just got allot on my mind right now," replied the girl truthfully.

Junpei and Yukari glanced at each other. Normally, when Minako had something on her mind, she continued to behave normally. Considering how out of it she was, her thoughts had to be something really troubling.

"Hey, maybe you should just go home for today," said Yukari.

Minako shook her head. "I'm supposed to go to tennis practice today. I already told Rio that I will."

"You're not going anywhere," said Junpei. "I'm taking you back to the dorm. Yuka-tan can tell Rio-san that you can't make it today."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with Junpei," said the pink clad girl.

Minako gave a sigh. She knew she'd been defeated.

"Alright then..."

Junpei then dragged her off, walking her back to the dorm. He was a little worried about her, which was why he had done this.

"Okay, here we are," said the boy some time later. "Go in and stay there for now, kay?"

"Yeah, thanks Junpei," said Minako with a smile.

Junpei headed off, since he was supposed to meet a friend of his at the station and Minako opened the door to the dorm, heading inside.

No one else had returned yet, but that didn't mean that the place was empty. There were two of them who didn't go to school, after all.

Shinjiro was sitting there playing with Koromaru. He was chuckling lightly and was petting the dog, when Koro-chan turned around and gave a bark. Shinjiro looked up as well, only to see Minako standing there with a small smile.

"Minako...you're back already?"

"Yeah. I...wasn't feeling well," she replied.

The young man immediately stood up and made his way towards her...

**And that's all for today…Told you it ends at an annoying part…Still working on the next bit…Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Yo…here's the next chapter…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own P3P or any of its characters…**

He pressed a large, but gentle hand to Minako's forehead.

"You've got a fever," he said.

Minako blinked. "Oh..." She hadn't realized she was actually sick.

The girl suddenly felt a wave of dizziness hit her and she swayed slightly on the spot. She began to fall forwards, but Shinjiro grabbed hold of her by the waist, steadying her.

"You need to get to bed," said Shinjiro. "Now."

Koromaru came over to the two, looked at Minako and whined.

Minako smiled slightly.

"I'm fine, Koro-chan, I just need some sleep."

"Now," Shinjiro repeated. He was not going to risk the girl falling unconscious right there.

Keeping a firm grip around her waist, Shinjiro led the girl to the stairs, up to the third floor, and down the hallway to her room. He took her inside and sat her down on her bed.

"Change your clothes and go to sleep."

Minako was blushing because of the contact between them, but nodded. Shinjiro inclined his head and left the room. The girl did exactly as told and fell asleep immediately, not even realizing that she had done so.

Throughout the evening, multiple people came to check up on Minako, after Koromaru had told Aigis that Minako was sick and in bed.

Aigis herself had been first. Yukari and Fuuka had gone together, followed by Mitsuru who had only just glanced into the room to make sure the girl was asleep. Junpei had stopped by with Ken, the kid a little hesitant. Akihiko had virtually bolted to Minako's room after Fuuka had mentioned the illness. Shinjiro had to force him out of the room, saying that if he stayed there, he'd catch Minako's cold and then he wouldn't be able to go to Tartarus. Hearing that he wouldn't be able to train if he got sick, got the red vested teen to finally leave the room...reluctantly.

The night was rather quiet, Minako slept the entire time. Though they were scheduled to go to Tartarus that night, the rest of S.E.E.S decided not to. Minako was the leader, wasn't she? She was the only one who knew exactly what they had to do.

The next morning, Mitsuru figured Minako should simply remain at the dorm and rest, instead of going to school. That was a good choice, because Minako slept through the entire morning.

Mid-day she awoke, and freshened up slightly, before heading down to the lounge. Shinjiro and Koromaru were there alone once more. The young man was brushing the dog's fur. Both of them seemed quite content.

Koromaru's bark caused Shinjiro to notice Minako. He immediately got to his feet and approached her.

"How're you feeling?" he asked.

"Better," replied Minako. "I mean, I don't think I'm going to pass out or anything."

Shinjiro gave a small smile. "That's good."

Minako glanced around the room. It was quite dark out, even though it was the middle of the day. Port Island had been lucky that the typhoon had decided to pass them rather quickly, even though the weather report had claimed something different. It had only lasted a day and a half at least, and now they were simply dealing with the after affects. It was just allot of rain and a bit of wind. Because of this, the school had been reopened the other day, though not many people had shown up. Minako had gone because of Mitsuru, but she had ended up catching a cold from doing that.

"Are the others at school?" she asked eventually.

Shinjiro gave a nod. "Kirijo wouldn't let them stay, even though it's still raining pretty hard out."

Minako smiled. "Well that's Mitsuru-senpai for you."

"...Are you hungry?" Shinjiro asked after a moment.

"Kinda, yeah," said Minako, just as her stomach gave a small rumble.

She blushed as her senpai chuckled slightly and he began walking over to the kitchen. After a moment, she followed him.

**That's all I got for now…I hope I explained about the typhoon passing quickly…Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Yo…well, I finished my 1000 words essay for law and have exams in a couple of week and as usual, like hell I'll study, so here's the next chapter… **

**Also, since this is the tenth chapter, I'd like to thank all those who have reviewed/favourited/alerted this fic, are reading it and have continued to, even after my crappy updating process. I love you guyz!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 3 Portable or any of its characters…**

Minako took a seat on the counter as Shinjiro went around making, what the girl soon realized, was soup.

"This is light enough for you to keep down," he said in response to her questioning look.

_So he really does care then..._

She smiled and Shinjiro blushed slightly.

The young man continued bustling around for the next few minutes, then, looked over at Minako once more.

"C'mon, sit over at the table," he said.

"Kay."

The girl slid off the counter and then went to sit at her normal corner seat at the large table. Moments later, Shinjiro placed a bowl down in front of her, bearing scalding hot soup.

"Be careful," he warned.

"Itadakimasu! ...Ow!"

"Tch, I just told you to be careful," said Shinjiro exasperatedly. "Here..." He leaned in closer to her. "Did you spill it on your hand?" He took Minako's hand into his own and carefully gazed at it. "Ah, you're lucky, it just missed your skin."

"Yeah...sorry. I'll be more careful," said Minako, trying to control her rapidly beating heart.

"Good." Shinjiro let her hand go and leaned back in his seat.

The girl then began to eat and quickly became aware of how much her stomach seemed to be protesting. Shinjiro, who had been gazing at her from under his beanie, seemed to notice this.

"Eat slowly," he instructed. "You eat fast like that and you'll just end up puking it all back up."

Minako nodded and began to slow down, allowing nearly a minute before each spoonful. By doing this, she was now able to really enjoy the meal.

"This is really good," she said.

Shinjiro's cheeks turned a little pink. "It's just soup," he said.

"Oh, stop being so modest," said the crimson eyed teen. "You're an amazing cook."

The blush deepened a little, but he gave her a small smile, which she took to be a silent thank you. Satisfied that he had understood, she continued to eat.

Once she had finished, Minako attempted to get to her feet, but her senpai stopped her.

"It's alright," he said. "I got it."

He picked up the bowl and headed to the sink to wash it. Minako watched him for a moment, before finally getting to her feet and stretching, her tank top rising up as she did so. Shinjiro turned away from the sink and was greeted with the view of the girl's pale navel. His eyes widened slightly, as they took in the sight before him. Minako mewled gently as she stretched even more and then she finally relaxed, completely unaware of the fact the Shinjiro had seen the whole thing.

Though the stretching had eased out the kinks in her muscles, it did nothing for Minako's head and a moment later, she was swaying on the spot. Shinjiro noticed this and was by her side in a flash. He took hold of her and was surprised when she flinched.

"...Minako?"

The girl let out a breath, realizing her senpai had felt her reaction.

"Sorry...I didn't see you come up to me," she said. "I...ever since Tohru...I always react that way when a guy touches me and I don't see who they are.

Shinjiro understood and thought it would be best if he apologized to her too.

"I didn't mean to scare you," he said. "I didn't know that would happen."

Minako shook her head. "It's not your fault."

"C'mere," said Shinjiro, and he led her over to the lounge, sitting her down on one of the couches.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

Shinjiro moved to sit on another couch, but Minako grabbed hold of his hand. He looked at her and saw that sadness in her crimson eyes again. The girl wasn't looking at him, but at the ground. Her grip was rather tight and he knew she wasn't going to let go, so he simply took a seat next to her, instead.

The two remained in silence for a long time, simply sitting there, holding hands. Shinjiro wasn't really sure what was going on, but he didn't mind it at all. In fact, he was quite happy when Minako began gently playing with his fingers.

"Hm, your hands are so much bigger than mine," she said softly, placing their palms together and comparing them.

Shinjiro chuckled deeply. "That's because I'm bigger than you, idiot."

"Hmph..."

Minako then linked their fingers and leaned her head on the young man's shoulder. Shinjiro stiffened slightly, but then relaxed. Koromaru then came toward them and rested his head on Shinjiro's lap, causing Minako to smile slightly.

Time passed by like this, with neither of them even really knowing what they were doing. They were comfortable though and that was really all that mattered...

**And that's all for this week…dunno when the next one'll be up, but it should be soon…I hope. Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Yo, I uh, I'm not really sure what to say here. I'm sorry for how long this took, but, I dunno, I just couldn't write anything… Things pick up a little in this chapter though, so I hope you'll forgive me.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 3 Portable or any of its characters…**

Minako wasn't even aware she had fallen asleep until Junpei's loud voice woke her up. She found that her fingers were still twined with Shinjiro's and that his head had dropped onto her own when he too, had dozed off. They both straightened up and Minako gave her senpai a small, rather shy smile and got to her feet to welcome back Junpei, who had just walked in. Unfortunately, she hadn't moved fast enough and Junpei had seen the position his friend had just been in. Minako had noticed that too and she looked at Junpei who was staring back and forth between her and Shinjiro. Then, after a moment, he smiled.

"Your secret's safe with me," he said. "Don't worry, I understand."

_Understand, what, exactly?_ wondered Shinjiro and Minako in unison. And then it hit them both.

"Um...thanks, Junpei," smiled Minako, unsure.

"So, anyway, you feeling any better?" asked Junpei, approaching the girl and gazing at her carefully, before pressing his hand to her forehead.

She let out a soft laugh. "I feel fine," she said. "In fact, I think we'll be able to go to Tartarus tonight too."

Shinjiro stood up at hearing this. "Minako...you sure about that?"

"Yeah," said Junpei, clearly agreeing. "You only just got better, after all..."

Minako smiled. "Tell you what, I'll stay here with the two of you and if you guys think I'm fine, then we'll go...if not, then we'll stay, alright?"

Junpei and Shinjiro didn't even need to look at one another to agree. Both of them cared for the girl. She was Junpei's best friend and kind of like a sister and Shinjiro's...well...friend, yes, but there seemed to be a little something else there. They just didn't really know exactly what it was.

Over the course of the next hour, the inhabitants of the dorm began to return home from school. As expected, everyone made a beeline for Minako upon seeing she was awake. All of them were asking her how she was feeling, whether or not they were going to Tartarus and what she had missed in class, student counsel, and so on. Noticing the girl was feeling slightly overwhelmed by all this, Shinjiro brought her to sit with him in the back corner, which he usually occupied alone.

"Thanks, senpai," said Minako sinking down onto a seat with a grateful smile.

Shinjiro merely grunted in response. He kept a close eye on the girl, who sat in front of him reading some sort of manga. She looked alright, albeit a little pale. She pushed herself too hard, he realized. How did she do it? She had been through so much in the past and now she had to deal with Tartarus, their equipment, all the clubs and friends. She did so much and it was always with a smile. Minako was always smiling. The others, Shinjiro thought, took that smile for granted. They didn't know what the girl went through. They didn't know what she was thinking all the time. Not that he himself knew everything, but he _did_ now know more than the others.

"Senpai?"

"Hm?"

"...Why don't you ever go to school?" asked Minako curiously.

The young man blinked in surprise at the suddenness of this question.

"Because I don't want to," he replied after a moment. "Simple."

"Why not?"

Shinjiro glowered at her and she smiled at him innocently, which caused him to chuckle lightly. "Idiot," he murmured, unsure of whether he was saying this to her or himself.

"Minako-chan," said Fuuka approaching the two.

"Hi, Fuuka!" greeted Minako cheerfully. "Something wrong?"

"No, everything's fine. I was just wondering whether we'll be going to Tartarus tonight. The others are beginning to ask me, especially Akihiko-senpai."

To Fuuka's surprise, Minako didn't respond, she simply looked over at Shinjiro expectantly. The young man hesitated for a moment.

"Not for too long and only light training, understand?" he finally said.

Minako smiled at Shinjiro and then refocused on Fuuka. "Looks like Tartarus is a yes."

Fuuka smiled at the both of them, though seemed confused, informed them to meet up outside the school by midnight and then she walked away, rejoining the others in the main lounge. As agreed, they all met up outside the school gates at the normal time and, as promised, went through a light training, much to Akihiko's dismay. However, when he was told that they were doing this because of Minako's health, he cheered up a bit.

Once again training went by normally, with the only major injury occurring to Junpei, who covered Ken from a dangerous ultimate move that probably would have killed the kid. Since Ken hadn't been there for that long, his skill level was still rather low, as compared to the others. Minako however, reacted immediately, and healed her friend as much as she could. She'd bandage up the wound properly once they got back to the dorm. Even though some of their Persona's had healing skills, the spells didn't actually _fully _heal you. They only healed _internal_ damage, not _external_. That was why, even though they could heal, they still had scars.

As they headed back to the dorm, Ken apologized to Junpei, who was being helped by Minako, who had an arm around his waist, attempting to keep him steady. Junpei waved off the apology and Yukari tactfully ushered Ken to walk up ahead with her and Fuuka. Shinjiro, who was walking on Minako's other side, let out a low chuckle, meant for only Junpei and Minako to hear. The two looked at him in confusion, wondering what was so funny.

"You were getting all worked up on making sure Minako would be alright, and you ended up getting hurt yourself, Iori."

"Haha, ngh. It's not like I meant for that to happen," replied Junpei. "Ken wouldn't have been able to take it."

"Stop teasing him, senpai," admonished Minako.

"Shinjiro."

"Huh?"

"Call me by my name," said Shinjiro. "I think it's about time you did that. Besides, I'm not much of a senpai anyway, it's not like I ever actually _go _to class."

"Me too?" wondered Junpei.

"No."

Minako let out a cheerful laugh that got both young men to smile and they continued on their way. Once they were back at the dorm, everyone other than the three of them immediately headed up to bed, ready to pass out for the night. Minako however, led Junpei over to the lounge and sat him down on one of the couches, before running off to grab some medical supplies. Shinjiro sat down too and watched as Minako tended to her friend's wounds, keeping him distracted with random jokes as she did so, so that he wouldn't feel the pain.

Once she was done, she sent Junpei off to bed and collapsed onto the couch with a sigh. Shinjiro stared at her. "What?" she asked.

"...How do you do it?"

"Sorry?"

Shinjiro clarified. "How can you keep acting like this? You're always smiling...always so caring...always helping everyone else while ignoring yourself. How do you manage to keep a lid on everything that's happened? How do you cope with it all?" He had always thought that what he had been through was terrible and it was, yes, but Minako had been through much worse than him. And yet...

Minako started. "_This_ is what you're constantly thinking about now?" She moved to sit next to him and, smiling softly, cupped his cheek with her small hand. "This is how I am," she said. "This is what I've always been like, even before what happened to my parents, before Tohru. You're the one who told me to be who I am. And _this_ is who I am... Do you not like me this way?"

Shinjiro was unaware of what came over him to have caused him to do it, but he raised his hand to cup Minako's cheek, leaned in, and pressed his lips to hers. She froze, but didn't pull away and neither did he. Instead, he brought his arms around her and held her. Minako hesitated, unsure of what to do. She was...confused. But when she felt Shinjiro pull her close, Minako finally responded and began to kiss him back, trying not to let her unease show. Shinjiro noticed this and tightened his grip, silently telling her that he could feel it, but it was alright.

Eventually, the two pulled apart for air, both breathing heavily. Both had similar looks of want in their eyes, but Minako's crimson irises were also tinged with confusion and even fear. Shinjiro saw this and brought his face close to hers, kissing her softly.

"I'll prove to you that you don't need to be scared," he said.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I promise you that I won't hurt you." And he kissed her again.

"I trust you," she murmured, "but..."

Shinjiro kissed her once more, letting her kiss back this time. "Don't be scared. Trust me, Minako."

**And that's all for now… I hope this makes up for the long wait, probably not, but I can still hope. Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Yo, sorry about the wait. RL has been pretty messed up.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 3 Portable or Persona 4 or any of their characters…**

Nervous as she was, Minako was also really very happy. She had spent a long time with Shinjiro, simply sitting and talking to him. He held her close the entire time, just listening to her, drowning himself in her voice. And yes, there were many kisses involved as well.

She knew what he was trying to do. She knew he was attempting to make her feel more comfortable while being physical with him, and...she appreciated it. She really did like Shinjiro, but it was still hard for her to show that. She was still scared. Whenever a male touched her, she felt Tohru's touch. Even if she knew it wasn't him, she could still feel him. Feel him hurting her...

Minako loved being in Shinjiro's company. As stoic as he was, he really cared for her, and she could see that. Naturally, as she had other friends too, she didn't sit with him twenty-four seven, and he didn't seem to mind. He sat by himself in his corner, watching Minako in the lounge, chatting with Junpei and the others. He smiled slightly as her brilliant laugh filled the room.

They didn't go to Tartarus that night, as they had just gone the day before, so instead, the group decided to use their free time catching up on homework. Unfortunately, this left Shinjiro alone in the lounge with Koromaru as, of course, he didn't go to school anymore. It wasn't as if he didn't enjoy his time with the dog, he had just been looking forward to being with Minako.

Shinjiro had just decided on taking Koro-chan for a walk, when Minako came down the stairs. Koromaru immediately bounded over to her, barking in an imploring sort of way.

"I think he wants you to come with us," said Shinjiro with a chuckle.

"Oh, okay," replied Minako, forcing back a blush.

"Hey, if you're busy..."

"No, no, it's fine. I was headed out anyway. It looks like Junpei ate my ice cream again."

Shinjiro smiled slightly. "Then let's go get some more. My treat."

Minako's face broke into a bright smile. "Ice cream? Yay!" She immediately hurried over, Koromaru at her heels.

The three of them left the dorm and headed towards the convenience store first, before making their way to the shrine. Minako and Shinjiro sat together, the girl enjoying her ice cream, while Koro-chan bounded around happily.

Minako finished her ice cream, and was just about to speak, when Shinjiro suddenly began to cough. She looked at him, surprised at how long the coughing was lasting, and she saw pain on his face. The coughing passed, and the girl noted how heavily he was now breathing, as he attempting to catch his breath.

Sen- Shinjiro? Are you alright?"

"Yeah...I'm fine." He looked away from her. He had forgotten this was happening. He knew what was happening to him, to his body, and yet... Why had he allowed himself to fall for her?

"Shinji..."

He still didn't look at her, but stared out at Koromaru, who was sniffing at something near the playground. "You're...a pain," he said finally, expression becoming pained once more.

"Wha-?" Confused, Minako looked at him, but _still_, he refused to look her way. "What're you...?"

"You keep messing things up for me. Keep changing everything. I think my life is the way its supposed to be...but your face keeps popping into my head..." He spoke softly, seeming uncertain as his hands were fumbling with one another.

Though Minako wasn't exactly sure of what Shinjiro was saying, she knew it was important. No, she _understood_ what he was saying, but didn't know _why_ he was saying it. And she didn't know how to respond to it. So she didn't. Instead, she did something that was far more difficult for her. She reached out to him. Reached in a way she had never done before. She took his hand, shifted closer, and when he turned to look at her in confusion, kissed him.

Shinjiro was actually surprised at first, considering it had been he who had been beginning these things with her, coaxing her to respond to him. When they finally broke apart, he said, "You didn't have to force yourself to do that, you know."

Minako lowered her head to his shoulder. "I know, but I wanted to."

The young man chuckled. "Well then I'm glad you did."

"...Me too."

There was a silence as both teens sat there watching the white dog run around happily, clearly glad to be back at the shrine. It seemed to be such a peaceful moment, but that moment soon ended.

Minako stretched, then suddenly gasped. Shinjiro heard the gasp, and when he looked at her, noticed the way she had tensed. She was staring at the stairs, the entrance to the shrine. He looked over too, wondering what she was seeing to make her look so scared. For at that moment, Minako looked terrified.

There was a man there, walking, seemingly oblivious of their presence. From what Shinjiro could see, he had black hair and was wearing a black suit with a red tie.

"Minako, what's wrong?" The man looked completely normal to him. He didn't understand why the girl was behaving the way that she was.

"T...Tohru...!"

**Yep, that's it for now. Again, dunno when the next chapter will be up. Thankz to all readers. Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


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